Curtains



June 11, 1963 MARAs 3,093,187

CURTAINS Filed March 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTOR JULIA MARAS ATTORNEY June 11, 1963 J. MARAS 3,093,187

CURTAINS Filed March 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWWWWY WWW ZNVENTOR JULIA MARAS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,093,187 CURTAINS Julia Maras, Buhl, Minn. Filed Mar. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 798,410 6 Claims. (Cl. 160330) The present invention relates to ornamentation and more particularly to window curtains for use enhancing the appearance of a Window to provide healthful and pleasant conditions in a building.

Heretofore curtains have been made of various materials and in various manners, but such curtains have not been entirely satisfactory and durable and have limitations in the ways of arranging the materials in the curtains due to limitations in the method of manufacture and the stereotyped manner of assembling the parts.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new type of curtain which will be attractive in appearance, easy to manufacture, and durable and easy to maintain without the problem of ironing or stretching.

A further object is to provide a method of manufacture of curtains which permits the use of persons of limited skill.

Another object is to provide an arrangement of curtains which may be easily sold to the user and which will have an immediate demand because of the attractive appearance, ease of maintenance and simplicity of mounting in the place of use.

Other and further objects will be apparent as the description proceeds and upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 1

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a swag curtain arrangement applied to a window showing the manner of accommodating windows of varying width.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the right swag panel of the curtain arrangement.

FIGS. 3 to 6 inclusive are fragmentary sections taken on corresponding section lines of FIG. 2 showing the details of stitching the parts together.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the nylon mesh fabrics used in the parts of the curtains of this invention.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of a two-tier form of ruffled swirl curtain with a backing adjustable to vary the length of the curtain.

FIG. 9 is a section taken substantially on line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section taken on line 10-40 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a three-tier form of rufiied curtains with a backing according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a section taken on line 1212 of FIG. ll.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are elevational and longitudinal sections of a fiounce hem 3-tier curtain on individual backings.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary section taken on line 15-45 of FIG. 13 showing the manner of hiding the side seams.

FIG. 16 is an elevational view of a bow tie type curtain on a backing and supported by a featherbone.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary section taken on line 17.17 of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a section taken on line 1818 of FIG. 16.

Briefly the present invention comprises curtains having a flat backing sheet of relatively unstretchable, permanent finish nylon mesh which will maintain its shape, with a second sheet of material on said backing pleated from one edge thereof with a line of stitching maintaining the pleats in the said edge. The stitched pleated edge of the pleated sheet is secured to the backing with a second line of stitching. A ruflied strip formed of transverse pleats secured with a line of stitching to maintain the ruflles in the strip is secured to the said edge of the sheets 3,093,187 Patented June 11, 1963 "ice by another line of stitching. The pleats may be straight pleats or may be swirls or flounces.

Referring more specifically to the drawing the form of curtains shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 inclusive comprises a left-hand panel 21, right hand panel 22 and center panel 23, each panel made entirely of nylon mesh material. The right hand panel shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 inclusive comprises a backing 24 cut to substantially the size of the panel and a covering pleated sheet 25 of substantially greater dimensions having curved pleats 26 with the pleats secured therein by a line of stitching 27 (FIGS. 3 and 5), the pleated sheet being secured to the backing by a line of stitching 28 extending completely around the periphery thereof.

A folded strip of material 29 placed on the outer surface of the pleated sheet 25 with the fold outwardly of the edge is secured to the connected backing and pleated sheets by stitching 34 providing a fixed straight line at the edge and the space between the plies of the folded strip serving to receive a featherbone or curtain rod for mounting on a window. A pleated ruffled strip 31 is provided with transverse pleats forming the rufiles and such transverse pleats are secured in the rufile strip by a line of stitching 32 and the rufiled strip is secured to the backing and pleated sheets and folded strip by a line of stitching 33.

The other edges of the panels along the top and the curved portion may be made as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 with the backing 24 projecting upwardly at the top edge for example, to provide for adhesive securement to the top edge where desired. It will also be apparent that the folded strip 29 may be used to provide for use with a featherbone or other type curtain rod and to permit mounting of the panel with the long straight edge at the top.

The panel 21 is substantially similar but is a mirror image of the panel shown in FIG. 2. The center panel has one straight edge at the top corresponding to the section view of FIG. 3 and a smoothly curved bottom edge having a section like that of FIG. 4. This arrangement would make it substantially the same as panels 21 and 22 being placed in edge to edge relation along their corresponding straight edges with the omission of the rufiies on such edges and the backings and pleated sheets being continuations of each other.

It will be apparent that the center panels 23 may be used in any number to extend across a window and the end may overlap one another to obtain the desired width from a given size of panel.

In the form of invention shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, a backing sheet 34 is provided with a fold 35 providing adjustment of the total length thereof by the location of the fold. A pleated sheet 36 has pleats formed therein which are maintained by lines of stitching 37 extending vertically in spaced relation forming swirls 38 and such stitched pleated sheets 36 are secured to the backing 34 by rows of stitching 39, a ruffle strip 40 having a line of stitching 41 being secured to the backing and the pleated sheets around the exposed edges by stitching 42.

As clearly shown in FIG. 9 one sheet 36 of pleated material at one end or top of the backing fabric 34 is secured to one surface of backing 34 by stitching 39 extending in vertical rows and additionally maintaining the swirl pleats in position so that the curves of the pleats extend toward the said one end of the backing 34. Similarly the other sheet of pleated fabric 36 is secured to the other surface of backing 34 at the other or lower end of such backing with the curves of the swirl pleats extending toward the said other end of backing 34. The entire periphery of the said one sheet of pleated fabric 36 has a previously ruflled strip 31 secured therearound. and the other or lower sheet of pleated fabric 36 has a rufile sea cured along the side edges and the end at the said one end or lower end only of the backing 34 thereby reducing the bulk of the material adjacent the top end of the said other sheet of pleated fabric so that the region of overlap of the pleated sheets the other or lower pleated sheet may appear as a neat continuation of the said one or top pleated sheet even when a very thin curtain rod is used in supporting the curtain.

In this form of the invention the length of the curtains can be adjusted by changing the position of fold line 35 thereby providing for attractive variation with the same curtain.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12 a flat backing sheet 43 has mounted thereon a plurality of sheets 44 which are pleated on their upper edges in a manner similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and with a ruflled strip on the top edge of the top strip. The side and bottom edges of the tier sheets 44 have the rufiles 45 secured along such edges in unpleated condition to provide the attractive appearance therein.

Upon reference to the modifications shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, a backing 46 has secured thereon additional backings 47 and 48 by a single line of stitching 49. On each backing, for example, backing 46 a pleated sheet 50 is secured. The sheet 50 is pleated or gathered on its top edge 51 and is maintained in its pleated condition by stitching 52 while its bottom edge is partially folded back on itself and pleated being held in pleated condition by stitching 53. The pleated sheet 50 is placed in back to back relation to the backing 47 and a line of connecting stitching 54 is sewn along the bottom and also stitching 55 along the sides edges is made forming a pocket and the pocket is then turned so the raw edges are inside the pocket with the pleated sheet 50 in front of the backing and a line connecting stitching 56 is provided along the upper edge of the pleated or gathered sheet 50 to complete the tier, the other tiers being similarly made. The side edges of gathered sheet 50 extend back on itself on the sides and bottom so the stitching is all behindthe gathered sheet 50.

Adjustment for length is obtained by folding the backings 46, 47 at suitable locations, and the upper edges of the backing provide for attaching the curtain in position.

The modifications shown in FIG. 16 includes a flat backing 56 on which a plurality of gathered or pleated sheets 57 are secured in gathered relation by lines of stitching 58, and such gathered sheets being secured to backing 56 by stitching 59. Prior to securement of the gathered sheets 57 to the backing 56 the sheet 57 is folded back on itself at either the top or the bottom or at both the top and the bottom and stitched by stitching 60, 60 to provide a passage for a cloth covered featherbone strip 61 for maintaining the curtain in position on a window. Ruflle strips are provided along the vertical edges of sheet 57 and such ruflle is secured in position in the manner shown in FIG. 18 and extends around the hem at the top and bottom to provide attractive projections at the edges thereof, suitable bows 62 being provided to draw the sides of the pleated sheets together intermediate the ends.

It will be evident that the backing sheet 56,may be omitted and the individual panel 57 used in any number and in any direction in which case the gathering stitching 58 may be omitted so that the width of the sheets 57 may be varied. It will also be evident that the sheet 57 may be arranged in staggered relation with or without a backing and the direction of panels may be horizontal instead of vertical.

From the above description it will be apparent that a series of attractive, serviceable, and easily laundered curtains have been provided from a single fabric of relatively unstretchable, permanent finish nylon mesh fabric which is washable requiring no ironing to maintain its attractive original appearance.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable pleated, ruflled curtain for use in covering a window opening regardless of the height thereof comprising, a backing sheet of appreciably greater length than the height of the opening and adapted to be folded intermediate its ends, a pleated sheet mounted on one surface and at one end of said backing sheet and secured to said backing sheet by lines of stitching extending the length of the backing sheet, a second pleated sheet mounted on the other surface and at the other end of said backing sheet and secured to said backing sheet by lines of stitching extending the length of said backing sheet, pleats in said pleated sheets extending transversely of said backing sheet, a rufiied strip extending around the periphery of one of said pleated sheets, a ruffled strip extending around the outer end and sides of the other pleated sheet, said backing sheet being adapted to be folded intermediate said pleated sheets to provide overlapping portions of said pleated sheets providing an illusion of continuous pleating while permitting adjustment of the length of the curtain for covering openings of differing length.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which the pleats are maintained in the pleated sheets by lines of stitching, the rufiled strips are maintained in rufiled condition by lines of stitching.

3. A curtain structure comprising a wall having a window opening permitting the passage of light therethrough, a transversely folded fabric backing of a length in its folded condition covering the desired portion of the window opening, the transverse fold of said fabric backing being intermediate the ends of such fabric backin g and located at the top of the portion of the window opening being covered, a first sheet of transversely pleated material on one surface of said fabric backing and at one end thereof, said pleats being swirl pleats with the curve extending toward said one end, a second sheet of transversely pleated material on the other surface of said fabric backing and at the other end thereof said pleats being swirl pleats with the curve extending toward said other end, the intermediate fold of said fabric backing being arranged to position said pleats at one end adjacent the pleats at the other end to appear as continuations forming an attractive pleated curtain.

4. The invention according to claim 3 in which the peripheral exposed margins of each pleated sheet are provided with ruffles extending substantially completely around the observable portions of the pleated sheets.

5. The invention according to claim 4 in which said second pleated sheet is free of rufiles along the edge adjacent the said first pleated sheet.

6. The invention according to claim 5 in which the pleats and raffles are maintained in pleated and rufiled condition by independent stitching.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 838,867 Lalus Dec. 18, 1906 1,173,927 Burns Feb. 29, 1916 1,516,935 Wachtel Nov. 25, 1924 2,543,459 Hicks Feb. 27, 1951 2,555,847 Druck June 5, 1951 2,605,830 Bixer Aug. 5, 1952 2,625,689 Wherwell Jan. 20, 1953 2,666,481 White Jan. 19, 1954 2,804,138 Nichols Aug. 27, 1957 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE PLEATED, RUFFLED CURTAIN FOR USE IN COVERING A WINDOW OPENING REGARDLESS OF THE HEIGHT THEREOF COMPRISING, A BACKING SHEET OF APPRECIABLY GREATER LENGTH THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE OPENING AND ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, A PLEATED SHEET MOUNTED ON ONE SURFACE AND AT ONE END OF SAID BACKING SHEET AND SECURED TO SAID BACKING SHEET BY LINES OF STITCHING EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE BACKING SHEET, A SECOND PLEATED SHEET MOUNTED ON THE OTHER SURFACE AND AT THE OTHER END OF SAID BACKING SHEET AND SECURED TO SAID BACKING SHEET BY LINES OF STITCHING EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF SAID BACKING SHEET, PLEATS IN SAID PLEATED SHEETS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID BACKING SHEET, A RUFFLED STRIP EXTENDING AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF ONE OF SAID PLEATED SHEETS, A RUFFLED STRIP EXTENDING AROUND THE OUTER END AND SIDES OF THE OTHER PLEATED SHEET, SAID BACKING SHEET BEING ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED INTERMEDIATE SAID PLEATED SHEETS TO PROVIDE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF SAID PLEATED SHEETS PROVIDING AN ILLUSION OF CONTINUOUS PLEATING WHILE PERMITTING ADJUSTMENT OF THE LENGTH OF THE CURTAIN FOR COVERING OPENINGS OF DIFFERING LENGTH. 